Painting Love
by LadySilentEagle
Summary: (Pokeshipping) For years Misty has lived in the shadow of her sisters beauty and fame. She yearns to find love, but it's not easy when every guy you fancy is ready to drop you to be with your more attractive sisters. So when the President of K & W Construction, Ashton Ketchum, shows a unique interest in her, will this be Misty's chance at something real… then her sisters show up.


**It's a One-shot Pokeshipping story with a little Ikarishipping on the side, and a tiny hint of Contestshipping. (Can you find it?)**

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><p><em><strong>Painting Love<strong>_

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><p>This is the last time I ever allow Dawn to convince me to come to these things.<p>

The lights hurt my eyes and I feel like my face is caked in dry clay; how can other women stand to wear foundation all day? Thank god Dawn deemed my lashes long and pretty enough to not warrant fake eyelashes; however, she did insist that I wear eye shadow and lipstick. Not to mention the dress she chose for me is way shorter than I'm use to.

"Misty, will you please stop hiding away in the corner?"

Dawn approaches me, her strappy stilettos clicking against the floor. Her face is smiling, but I can tell by the tiny twitch in her eyebrow that she is anything but happy with me. She's wearing a knee-length light peach pink, short cap sleeve dress with a lace bodice and sparkling embellishments around a natural waistline.

"I barely know anyone here." I whine and look away.

"You know me, and you know Paul." Dawn taps her foot. "Hang around with us."

"And feel like a third wheel. No thank you." I shake my head, feeling my curled locks bounce around my face.

Aside from uncomfortable tall black pumps, and cream coloured make-up, Dawn convinced me to leave my fiery orange hair loose and curl it into light ringlets. She also made me put on this mid-thigh length deep royal blue, short cap sleeve cocktail dress with a sequin embellished sweetheart bodice, empire waist and open back.

Dawn and I have been friends since our days at the Kanto University of Arts seven years ago. Dawn now owns her own Art Gallery in the higher end part of Cerulean City, and I spend most of my time hidden away in my seaside cabin painting images of the ocean. And I submit all of my work to Dawn's Gallery. I make a decent living off my art, and Dawn is always encouraging me to take my art to the next level, something about me having the potential to become a world-class recognized artist.

Dawn groans and grabs my arm. With little resistance, I let her pull me towards Paul and his small group of friends. "I did not spend hours turning you into a star just so you can hide away in the corner, denying this room of guests your sparkle. And you won't be a third wheel, see? There's a whole group of us you can mingle with."

Paul's company, K & W Construction, which he founded with his best friend, is hosting tonight's little party. K & W Construction is a major construction firm, and they recently signed a major contract. Tonight's event is to celebrate that win.

"I feel out of place here."

I glance around and see lots of handsome men mingling with gorgeous women, something I will never be; no matter how much Dawn tries. I'm the youngest of four sisters, though you'd never make the connection if you saw us. My sisters are gorgeous roses, whereas I'm a plain daisy; which is kind of funny, since all of my sisters are named after flowers, and one of them is named 'Daisy'.

Dawn stops dragging me and points a finger in my face, "You are my guest, and you have just as much right to be here as any one else. And if anyone says different, I can have Paul kick them out."

I shake my head, "Don't do that."

Dawn is Paul's special guest, and I'm her plus one. This is Paul's company's party, there's no need to evict anyone on my behalf. Paul and I aren't exactly friends, but we have met a couple times. He's an okay guy, a little cold with high standards, but he's polite and a gentleman. And from what I've heard, his business skills are first class. Plus he makes Dawn happy and that's all that matters to me.

"Misty, please. I brought you here so you could have some fun. Interact with some people, and stop hiding yourself away in that cabin of yours." Dawn looks at me with pleading eyes.

I sigh and give in to her. "I'll try, but no promises."

Dawn smiles like the sun. Then she continues to drag me over to Paul and his small group. Amongst the group are Paul's older brother Reggie Winters and his date Amanda West, Paul's Secretary Zoe Fairchild and her date Kenny Sands, and Paul's high school friend Barry Hunter. Dawn pointed them out earlier, when we first arrived; Paul was polite enough to offer me a ride, so I got here early with him and Dawn.

"Dawn, who's your friend?" Zoe smiles at me and sticks out her hand.

Zoe's a strikingly beautiful woman with pixie cut dark orange hair and strong dark rose red eyes, wearing a mint green dress with a high low hem and a beaded ruched bodice.

"This is Misty, a friend of mine from University. She's a painter." Dawn introduces me.

I shake Zoe's hand. "Hello."

"Hello." Zoe seems nice, and very confident. "A painter huh? Do you have any of your work on displayed in Dawn's gallery?"

I give a shaky nod. "I have a few."

"Anything I might have seen?" Zoe asks, earning the attention of Kenny and Barry.

Kenny is boyishly handsome with dark eyes and chestnut coloured hair, wearing a two-piece dark navy blue suit with a grey tie. Barry is equally handsome with light blonde hair and confident orange eyes, wearing a two-piece white suit with a dark orange tie. Both seem nice enough, but Kenny comes off as a prankster and Barry comes off as a snob.

Meanwhile, Dawn reattaches herself to Paul's side and engages Reggie and Amanda in a conversation. Paul's attitude seems the same as usual, but admittedly he looks much better than normal in his two-piece dark grey suit with a dark purple tie. Reggie is pretty much an older version of Paul, and he's even wearing a similar style suit. As for Amanda, she's looking stunning in her mid-thigh length dark purple, sleeveless purple party dress, with a sweetheart bodice and sparkling sequin accents on the bust, shoulder straps and empire waist.

"I'm not sure. I paint landscapes, mostly scenes of the ocean."

Zoe thinks for a moment, "You wouldn't happen to be the artist of _'Warm Heart'_?"

_'__Warm Heart'_ is a painting I did a few months ago.

One evening I was sitting on the veranda of my cabin reading a romance novel, and I just happened to glance up and spot the setting sun. The moment I laid eyes on it, my heart began filling with unexplainable but welcomed warmth, which quickly spread throughout my entire body. I felt energized and comforted. And I knew then that I just had to capture this feeling of light on my canvas. So the next day I set myself up on the veranda and got to work. It took me an hour to finish the painting. But once I was done, I was really pleased with the finished product.

The next day I submitted it to Dawn's gallery, and she fell in love with the painting the moment she set eyes on it. The painting stayed in her gallery for nearly two months before someone bought it. Dawn was sad to see it go, but happy that someone bought my work. I never found out who bought my painting, but whoever the buyer was, they paid a handsome sum of money for the painting.

"_'__Warm Heart'_ is one of mine." I smile appreciatively; maybe Zoe is the one who bought it.

"Really? I saw that painting on the office wall at K & W, and thought it was absolutely amazing. I wanted to take it home with me, but I didn't since that would've gotten me fired." Zoe laughs and smiles at me. "So I tried to find the artist, but the only artist's marks were the initials M.W."

"I mark all my works that way. My full name is Misty Waterflower."

So someone at K & W bought my painting. According to Dawn, the only one's allowed to refurbish the office are the company Presidents or the Secretary. And since Zoe isn't the one who bought it, that can only mean Paul or his business partner bought my painting. Most likely his business partner, since Paul doesn't have much of an eye for art; anything he knows about art comes from Dawn.

"Waterflower…" Barry looks thoughtful for a moment before going completely starry eyed, "You wouldn't happen to be related to the Sensational Sisters, Daisy, Violet and Lily Waterflower would you?"

_Oh wonderful_, here we go.

This is the one reason I only put my initials on my paintings. The moment I drop my last name, people always bring up sisters. My sisters are the famous Sensational Sisters of Kanto.

Daisy is the eldest at 26-years-old, and a world-class Fashion Model for Cerulean Fashions, the second biggest fashion company in the Kanto region. She's got luscious long blonde hair, bright green eyes, and a killer figure. She's very sweet and caring, donating most of her profits to charity foundations. Lot's of guys want to date her and lot's of girls want to look like her.

Violet is the second eldest at 25-years-old, and a highly sought after Fashion Consultant working for Kanto Styles, the Kanto regions number one fashion magazine. She's got shoulder-length wavy indigo hair, light hazel eyes, and a slender figure. She's spunky and upbeat, with an eye for detail. Hordes of females read her advice column for make-up and fashion tips, while hordes of males secretly read her romance column for tips on how to land their dream girl.

Lily is the third eldest at 23-years-old, and the newest rising star of Cerulean Fashions, under the mentorship of our sister Daisy. Lily's got soft pink hair, royal blue eyes and the body of an athletic cheerleader. Her bubbly and peppy personality is quite infectious and greatly adored. She's the agency's sweetheart. Lot's of younger girls lover her and treat her as their idol.

And lastly there's me, the youngest sister at 21-years-old, Misty Waterflower, an aspiring young artist with a small reputation. I have shoulder-length wild orange hair, viridian green eyes and a body shaped from years of swimming. Unlike my sisters, I have no interest in the fashion or modeling industry. Instead I'm content with my quiet life by the sea with my art and romance novels to keep me company.

"Yes. They're my older sisters." I sigh and try to remain up beat, but thinking about it has me depressed a bit.

Despite how content I am with my life, there is one thing I'm missing – someone to share it with.

I love my sisters, I really do, but sometimes they can be too much for me to handle. Every guy that I've ever gone out with either already knows about my relationship to my sisters and is just using me to get to them, or doesn't know about my sisters, and goes out with me – only dump me later when they've found out about my sisters just so they can hook up with one of my sisters. My sisters are just that attractive to the opposite sex. They don't do it on purpose, and they turn down every single guy that uses me or is my ex, but it still hurts.

"I can certainly see the family resemblance." A new voice enters the conversation.

I turn around and… _Oh my god!_

A chocolate eyed, tanned god with pitch black hair in a two-piece black suit with a royal blue tie is standing before me. He's holding a flute of white champagne and smiling with a mouth full of pearly white teeth. He looks directly at me, and suddenly I feel even more out of place than before.

"Ash! You finally made it." Kenny steps around me to shake the dark haired man's hand.

Ash… Ash… Dawn once told me that Paul's partner and the Co-President of K & W Construction is a man named Ashton Ketchum. Could this be him?

Ash drags his eyes away from me to smile at Kenny and shake his hand. "I had some personal business to take of."

"You planned this party, you should be the first one here." Paul grumbles. "Not me."

"Sorry." Ash glances around, "Though it seems that the party is going smoothly with out me."

"We're just glad you're finally here. This win is thanks to both of you and all your hard work." Dawn smiles, and catches me staring at Ash. I can see a tiny twinkle in her eye… _oh no._

Dawn steps away from Paul and grabs my arm. "Hey Ash, I'd like you to meet my best friend Misty Waterflower."

Ash turns his chocolate eyes back to me and reaches out his hand. It takes me a moment to realize that he wants to shake my hand.

"A pleasure to meet you." Instead of shaking it, Ash takes my hand and actually kisses it.

I blush intensely, but quickly fight it down; however, I wasn't fast enough in suppressing my body's reaction. Dawn saw my blush and the twinkle in her eyes gleams brighter. Aside from art, Dawn has another great passion: playing cupid.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." I plaster a pleasant smile across my face, while trying to ignore the chill coming from Dawn's scheming gaze.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, but are you really related to the Sensational Sisters?" Ash asks; and the butterflies in my stomach start to falter in their flight.

"Yes. As I said, they're my older sisters."

"Then it seems beauty runs in the family." Ash smiles and I'm dazzled.

This is odd. I've never been so taken with a man this quickly before. Yet Ash has this strange affect on me, and I can't help the way my heart beats out of time. And he's calling me beautiful, just like my sisters. With my dating record, I've heard nearly every line in the book, but never have any of my previous boyfriends ever called me beautiful. They've called me pretty and lovely, even cute and amazing, but never beautiful.

"Thank you." I nod my head in a little bow.

Ash takes a sip of his glass, "So, how do you know Dawn?"

Dawn interjects and explains for me. "Misty and I graduated from the same Art University. She's a skilled painter, and submits most of her artwork to my gallery."

"Anything I might have seen?" Ash looks expectantly at me with a hopeful glimmer in his eye.

"Yes, the painting in the office." Zoe joins the conversation, "The one you bought a few months ago. The painting of the sunset."

"You're M.W?" Ash looks pleasantly surprised and happy.

I silently nod my head. So he _is_ the one who bought the painting. I can't help but smile as calming and soothing warmth fills my heart, and suddenly this night isn't so bad after all. I expected to wander around the edges, completely invisible to everyone but Dawn. Except now, I think I might actually be able to enjoy myself.

"I try to remain independent, and not rely on the fame associated with my family name because of my sisters."

"That makes sense." Ash nods sagely and then smiles at me, "I think that kind of decision shows great deal of character."

I blush and look away. Dawn subtlety nudges me in the arm, before looping her arm with Zoe's and walking away to join the others in conversation. I glance up, and both Dawn and Zoe wink at me. We met just moments ago and Zoe is already scheming with Dawn against me.

"So, are sunsets the only thing you paint?" Ash asks, snapping my attention away from Dawn and Zoe, and back to him.

The others have walked away too, leaving Ash and I alone to converse.

I shake my head, "No. My specialty is landscapes, with a focus on the ocean."

"So are a majority of the ocean landscape paintings at Dawn's gallery done by you?"

"Only three of the ocean landscapes are mine."

At the moment, I have five of my paintings on display in Dawn's art gallery, _Gallery La Bleu_. Three are of the ocean and two are of the surrounding forests.

"Do you take requests for paintings?" I blink at Ash in surprise.

"Occasionally."

He lights up, "Do you do portraits?"

"Yes, I've done portraits before."

"So if someone were to ask you to paint their portrait, would you?"

I ponder this for a moment. Could Ash be asking me to paint his portrait?

I did portrait exercises for University, and I got high marks and praise for them, but I've always felt more comfortable with landscapes. However, I do occasionally paint portraits, but only for close friends or relatives. Like the time Violet asked me to paint her portrait, or my long distance friend May in Hoenn asked me to paint her boyfriends portrait.

"Who do you have in mind?" I ask.

"Me. It's a gift for my mother."

"For your mother?"

"Yes. It's her 50th birthday soon and I'd like to get her something special. "

"So you're giving her a portrait of you?" I can't help but smile childishly.

Ash chuckles. "She's a widow and I'm her only son. She's got dozens of photos of me, but what she really wants is a painting of me. Something unique. It'd be even better if you could paint my mother and I together."

So he's handsome, successful, and cares for his mother. Is the universe playing a trick on me, creating a guy this perfect?

"I'm flattered that you're asking me. But I'm only a small time local artist. Are you sure you want me to paint your portrait?"

Ash ponders this for a moment, looking as though he could probably get someone better, but instead he nods his head and smiles at me. "I think you'll do just fine. And I think a local touch will give the painting an extra level of uniqueness. So what do you say? Will you paint my portrait?"

He looks at me with hope in his eyes, and I can see the glimmer of a child in him. He's sincere and sweet. My heart returns to its normal rhythm, but starts beating louder and louder till it's a deafening boom in my ears. I just met him, and my heart is already reacting this way, but I don't mind because this is the best feeling in the world right now.

What else can I say to him?

"Yes."

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><p>After I said yes, Ash lit up like a Christmas tree. And we immediately began discussing times when we could meet up so he can sit for his portrait. Unconsciously we began walking next to each other around the room as we talked. Then we spent the rest of the evening just talking and getting to know one another. Eventually the night came to an end, and Ash offered to drive me home; and I told him I was staying over at Dawn's tonight.<p>

He parks in front of Dawn's gallery, kills the engine, exits the car, and then comes around to my side of the car to help me out; Dawn lives in an apartment above her gallery. Dawn and Paul left the party early, so it won't surprise me of she's already home right now, watching Ash and I from the window. The light peeking out from the curtains confirms my theory.

I smile at Ash for his manners, "Thank you."

Ash shuts the car door behind me and walks me to Dawn's front door. The night air is chilly and nips at my face. We stand on Dawn's stoop and I look up to Ash, who's half a head taller than me (and I'm wearing heels).

"So I'll see you on Friday for my portrait sitting?" Ash looks at me like a shy little boy; and I thought he couldn't get anymore handsome and adorable, but he just did.

"At 3pm sharp." I nod my head.

"And you're sure you want me to come over to your place?" Ash looks embarrassed, as if he's never been over to a girl's house before.

"Is there someplace else you'd like to sit for your portrait? You did say you'd like your mother to be in the painting too, didn't you?"

Ash shakes his head, "My mother lives in Pallet Town. And I just wanted to make sure you don't mind having me in your house."

I giggle under my breath and smile, "I invited you over in the first place, so it's fine. Ok?"

Ash breathes a sigh of relief. "All right then, I'll see you on Friday at 3pm at your place."

He reaches out for my hand and kisses it, sending a tingly sensation up my arm and into my heart. Then he bids me farewell and turns to his car. But before he gets in, he looks to me and waves goodbye. I wave back and watch him drive away with a smile on my face.

Once his car is out of sight, I skip up the rest of the steps to knock on the door. But before my knuckle can make contact with the door, it swings open and a grinning pajama clad Dawn is looking at me with twinkling eyes.

"Someone looks happy." She leans against the doorframe with crossed arms.

"Dawn, please let me inside. If you do, I'll tell you everything." I ask politely, while trying to contain my happiness.

She giggles like an excited schoolgirl about to be told the biggest secret of the century, and moves aside to let me in her apartment. Once inside, Dawn ushers me into her small longue room and plops me down in her two-seater couch. I kick off my heels and flex my cramped toes. Dawn plops down next to me.

"So, how'd it go?"

"He's coming over to my place on Friday at 3pm so I can paint his portrait."

"You invited him to your house?" Dawn smiles with glee.

"Only because my house is basically my studio, and it is the easiest place for me to do a portrait."

Dawn hums sarcastically and gets up. She skips into her compact kitchen and turns on the kettle. "So, what's your personal opinion of Ash?"

I ponder this and a blissful smile infects my face. "He's… wonderful."

Dawn joins me back on the sofa and hands me a mug of hot chocolate. "Go on."

I take a sip of the warm cocoa beverage and sigh contently. "He's handsome, intelligent and wealthy, but he's also humble, charitable and polite. His hobbies include hiking and sailing, and pretty much any activity that puts him outdoors. He has a pet dog named 'Pika', whom he treats like his best friend. And he cares a lot about his mother. He always tries to find time in his busy work schedule to visit her or give her a call."

Dawn hums her agreement. "It sounds like Ash is your ideal guy."

I blush profusely and try to hide my face in my mug, letting the steam fog my sight. Ash does seem perfect, and that makes him too good to be true. Yet I can't deny the affect he has on my heart. In just a single evening he's captured my complete attention and left me wanting more of his company.

"Perhaps."

Dawn frowns and puts her down on her coffee table, "You're thinking about your past partners, aren't you?"

I've had three boyfriends so far. I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic and a sucker for punishment. Every time I expect and hope that this guy will be different from the last, that he only has eyes for me and will stay with me, and that he really loves me and won't fall for my sisters.

But they were all the same.

The first one was during high school; I was in the ninth grade. His name was Joshua, he was a year older then me and he was president of the art club. Days and hours spent in the art room, working on our projects together, brought us close together. Eventually, Joshua asked me out on a date and took me to an art exhibit of my favourite artist at the time. We were together for three months, and I eventually made the decision to introduce him to my family.

And this decision lead to my first heartbreak…

In the weeks following that meeting, I felt Joshua distancing himself from me, and eventually he dumped me in hopes of dating my older sister, Lily. When Lily found out what he did, she flat out rejected him, but that didn't soften the pain in my heart one bit. Afterwards, Joshua tried to win me back, but the damage had already been done. I refused him and eventually took over his position as president of the art club; he left the art club.

"I highly doubt Ash will be anything like the others." Dawn comforts me. "In fact, I know he's nothing like them."

I continue to stare into my mug. Thinking about the past.

The second was during my senior year of high school; I was in the eleventh grade. His name was Damon, a transfer student from Johto. We were in the same homeroom, and we sat next to each other. We shared a love of nature and of the ocean. Our first date was a walk along the beach; followed by a picnic he prepared himself. Our relationship lasted for a good six weeks.

Turns out he's a secret fan of my sister Violet, and he thought he could get close to her by dating me.

Upon learning this, Violet scolded him for using a girl's feelings for his own personal profit. This was a shock to his system, and he apologized to me. We talked it over, and eventually we agreed that it's best we stay friends. So we broke up, but we still keep in contact, only as friends.

And the third was during my second year of university. His name was Rudy, and he was the teacher's assistant in one of my art classes. He tutored me for quite some time and we became very close. Rudy and I dated for almost half a year. And he made me really happy. I thought I'd finally met the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Then during one of our dates, we ran into my sister Daisy.

And instead of introducing himself as my boyfriend, he introduced himself as merely a friend of mine. At first, I thought he made a mistake or that I'd heard him incorrectly, but then he started flirting with my sister. And I became so upset and angry that I just got up and left, without offering a single explanation. Daisy followed me and asked me what was wrong. I told her that Rudy and I were dating, and she immediately began apologizing for flirting with him. I told her it wasn't her fault, but Rudy's.

The very next day I broke up with Rudy, and he had the gall to ask for my sister's number. I gave him a good smack upside the head, and vowed never to talk to him again.

"How can you be sure?" I ask Dawn.

Dawn blinks at me a few times before breaking into a fit of giggles, and earns a confused look from me.

"What's funny?"

Dawn stops giggling and smiles at me. "Did you ever notice that while you were busy talking with Ash, he never glanced at any of the other women in the room? Not once."

Now that I think about it, Dawn has a point, but perhaps I was a bit too preoccupied with talking to Ash to really notice anything else. Our conversation was quite enjoyable.

"And lots of the women present at tonight's party were just as pretty as your sisters, but Ash paid no attention to them. His eyes were completely focused on you."

His eyes… Ash's eyes… A deep chocolate brown… with tiny gold flecks… I remember the detail because I was staring into them all night. So perhaps Dawn's right… Do I have a chance with Ash?

I hope so, I really do.

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><p>"So are we almost done?" Ash stands from his chair and stretches, reaching his arms over his head.<p>

For the last few weeks, Ash has been coming over to my house every Friday at 3pm to sit for his portrait. And today looks like it's going to be our last session together, since the paintings almost done. In the painting, Ash is sitting in my window seat, facing me with a soft content smile on his face and the glowing golden sun outlining his form in the background.

"Yep." I wash my paintbrush in the water pot, and then leave it to dry on the table next to my easel.

"Can I see?" Ash walks towards me, but I quickly drape a cloth over the canvas.

"Not until it's finished." I scold him and move towards my kitchen.

During these past few weeks, Ash and I have become really close. We've even been on a few dates together. He's taken me to the aquarium quite a few times, invited me on evening beach walks, we've seen several of the latest movies in the cinemas together, and he's even taken me on a tour of various art galleries in the surrounding areas. And last week, he and Paul were invited to another company's party, and Ash asked me to be his date. And he was a complete sweetheart and gentleman the entire time.

Though he has yet to officially ask me to be his girlfriend, I have high hopes that he will do so soon; so do Dawn and Zoe.

"How come I can't see it till it's finished?" Ash whines.

I shake my head and giggle at his childishness, while handing him a glass of water. "I want you to absorb the full affect of the painting once it's finished. It won't look as good if you see it now."

Ash pouts, but doesn't say anything more on the subject.

***Knock-knock***

I wonder who that could be. I'm not expecting any guests today. And Dawn knows I'm with Ash, and she promised she wouldn't disturb us unless it was an emergency, even though I never asked her to promise such a thing.

"Excuse me." Ash nods for me to go ahead and answer the door.

I open the door and I'm immediately engulfed in a hug from multiple sources.

"Baby sister!" A pair of sweet melodic voices rings in my ear.

"Daisy? Lily?" I hastily pull away and stare bewildered at my two older sisters. "What are you two doing here?"

Daisy smiles at me, "We came to visit you, of course."

Her golden hair is pulled into a low ponytail with a pink daisy flower hairclip, and she's wearing a dark teal shirt with a pink cardigan, short white skirt and white sandals. As for Lily, her hair bubblegum pink hair is pulled up into a high ponytail with a white lily flower hairclip, and she's wearing a pair of jean shorts with a white tunic, a chunky turquoise necklace and cream coloured sandals.

"Hello Misty, sorry for dropping by so suddenly. We hope you don't mind." Lily apologizes.

I shake my head and step aside to let them in. "It's ok. But please try to call ahead next time if any of you decides to drop in. I might be out for the day and there'd be no here to let you in."

"We will, sorry." Daisy wanders into my lounge room, while I shut the door.

"Misty, who is it?" Ash's voice calls out from my studio.

_Oh no. _

Ash wonders in from the studio, and looks surprised to see my sisters. And my sisters look just as surprised. Then Daisy breaks into a smile and walks over to Ash with her hand outstretched.

"Hello, I'm Misty's sister, Daisy. And you are?"

Ash puts on a charming smile and shakes Daisy's hand. I wait for the kiss on the hand, but it doesn't come, and I breathe a sigh of relief. "I'm Ash, a friend of Misty's. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Friend… I'm his friend… I keep the smile plastered to my face, but a little part of me is greatly disappointed. So I'm still only a friend.

"Hi, I'm Lily, Misty's other sister." Lily steps forward to shake Ash's hand.

Ash shakes her hand, "Hello. It's great to finally meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you two, and your other sister, Violet."

Daisy beams with delight, "Misty's talked about us?"

Ash shakes his head, "No. I heard about you from my co-workers, and I do occasionally pick up magazines."

"Why don't you all have a seat and I'll prepare drinks?" I shuffle around them, and head towards the kitchen.

Ash leads Daisy and Lily over to the sofa and sits down between the two of them, continuing to talk animatedly. Before stepping into my kitchen, I spare a glance and smile sadly at how well they're getting on. It's good to know that my sister like him, and why wouldn't they. Ash is sweet, charming, humble, handsome, and a gentleman. The fact that he's wealthy and owns his own business is just a bonus. A man like that has lots of options, especially with women. I'm sure Ash could have his pick of the litter.

But he chose to spend time with me, and for that I'm happy.

And now that I think about it, Ash and I never agreed on a price for my services. I guess all those dates and inviting me to that company party were just his way of paying me back. Ash is certainly the kind of individual who believes in returning favors.

I carry my sister's mugs of hot chocolate into the lounge room and place them on the coffee table in front of them, and then I return to my studio to fetch my mug and Ash's mug.

Since my couch is a three-seat, I take my place in the armchair next to Daisy. We continue talking for the rest of the evening. We talk about Daisy's work and how well Lily is doing, Ash speaks briefly about the portrait I'm doing for him, and I mention that my art selling really well. I learn that Daisy and Lily are attending a photo shoot in Viridian City, and are just passing through; and they decided to drop by to say hello and catch up in person. My sisters all live in the same apartment complex in Saffron City.

"Well, it's gotten late. We should be going now. It was a pleasure to meet you Ash. And we'll drop by again soon little sister." Daisy gives both Ash and I a good-bye hug, before collecting her bag and walking towards the door.

"And next time, we promise to call first." Lily gives me a peck on the cheek and hugs Ash good-bye, before following Daisy out the door.

I gather up all the mugs and carry them over to my kitchen sink. I turn on the tap and grab the sponge.

"Hey Misty…" Ash leans against the kitchen bench next to me.

I focus on cleaning the mugs in the sink, "Yes, Ash?"

"Are you ok?"

I nod my head, but keep my focus on scrubbing the mug in my hands. "Yes, I'm fine."

His hand slowly grasps my wrist, making me drop the sponge, and then reaches over to pull the mug out of my hand. He places the mug on the countertop and then tugs me around to face him, gently grasping my other wrist.

"You're not fine. What's wrong?" Ash rubs his thumbs circles over my wrists, while I just stare at the floor.

I don't know why it's bothering me, I mean I should be used to it by now. And it's not like they were flirting, they were just having a friendly chat. Besides, Ash did introduce himself as my friend.

"Misty, I can tell something is upsetting you. What is it?" He reaches up to stroke my cheek.

I pull away and reach for the sponge, "It's nothing, I promise. So please don't worry about it."

But Ash stops me again, by grasping my wrist. And this time he pulls me over to the couch in the living room and has me sit down. He sits down next to me and softly cradles both my hands in his lap.

"Misty, please talk to me."

I sigh and lean in close, my forehead connects with his shoulder. "Am I really just your friend?"

"Huh?"

I pull away and look Ash in the eye, "Earlier you introduced yourself as my friend. So are we really just friends?"

Ash blinks a few times, before breaking into a wide grin, and then he starts laughing. I stare at him in a state of disappointment, confusion and anger. He's _laughing_. Why is he laughing? I huff and move to stand, but Ash grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"No, wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just…" He pause to regain his breathe after laughing, "I'm relieved."

"Relieved?" Ok, I'm completely confused now.

"While we were talking with your sisters, I sensed that you weren't as happy as you appeared, so I became concerned. And I thought it was because I was friendly towards your sisters."

"Huh?"

Ash looks apologetic, "Dawn told me about your ex-boyfriends."

Oh god… I look away with a distinct heat in my cheeks. Dawn talked to him about my ex-boyfriends. "All of them?"

Ash clears his throat, "Yes. Dawn also told about how each of them became your ex-boyfriends. And how your sisters were involved."

I blink away the on-coming tears and brace myself for whatever is coming. "And?"

Ash grabs my chin and pulls my face towards him, "And I want you to know that I have absolutely no interest in any of them. My eyes are only for you."

I search his eyes looking for honesty, and what I see is more than that. In his eyes is the one feeling I've yearned for, for years… Love… pure and honest love. He loves me. Ash loves me. Not Daisy. Not Violet. Not Lily. But Me. He loves _me_. My heart swells with joy and all those bad memories of Joshua, of Damon, and of Rudy (especially Rudy) are all being wiped away.

_But..._

"But, then why did you say you were my friend?"

It's Ash's turn to blush. "Because we aren't officially dating, and I wasn't one hundred percent sure how you felt about me. I thought it was safest just to say that. But to be honest, I really wanted to say that I was your boyfriend."

I smile with delight as tears of happiness flow from my eyes. I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling Ash in for a kiss. He's surprised at first, but quickly reciprocates. His arms encircle my waist and his hands massage my lower back. Our lips move in perfect sync, and he tastes like honey and chocolate. We shift around a little and I'm lying on back with Ash carefully supporting himself above me. I run my hands through his hair and his hands caress my ribs. Not once, did we break our kiss…

And then oxygen became necessary…

"So I can introduce myself as your boyfriend now?" Ash looks at me with childish joy.

I laugh and peck him on the lips. "Only if I can introduce myself as your girlfriend."

He nuzzles my neck, "Absolutely."

* * *

><p>"Thank you. I love it." Ms Ketchum puts the painting down to hug her son and give him an affectionate kiss on the cheek.<p>

Two weeks after finishing the painting, Ash invited me to attend his mother's birthday. And that's where we are now, at his family home in Pallet Town, surrounded by his closest friends and family. I saw some familiar faces on my way in, such as Dawn and Paul, but Ash brought me over to meet his mother straight away.

"I'm glad. And I'd like you to meet the talented artist who painted it." Ash steps aside and gestures me forward. "Mum, this is Misty Waterflower, my girlfriend."

Ms Ketchum looks good for her age. Today is her 50th birthday, but she doesn't look a day over 40. She has auburn brown hair and gold caramel coloured eyes; the gold flecks in Ash's eyes must come from her. Her eyes twinkle at the sight of me and she accepts me with open arms.

"It's wonderful to meet you. I'm so happy to see that my little boy has finally found someone." She holds me at arms length and gives me a once over, "And you look beautiful, my dear."

"Thank you." I smile politely.

I loop my arm with Ash's and together we stroll away to greet the other guests. Dawn skips over to us, with Paul following her at a steady pace. When I told her about Ash and I, she almost jumped through the ceiling of her gallery with glee. Luckily Paul was there to keep her on the ground, and he offered me a simple congratulations.

"So, did she like it?" Dawn asks with a smile

"She loved it." Ash responds.

Dawn puffs out her chest a little, "I'm not surprised, since it was painted by Misty."

I laugh at her antics. Then I feel Ash squeeze my arm. I look up to him and he's smiling down at me with pride and affection.

"I'm not surprised either. After all, she painted it with love, and love is always the best ingredient."

I stand on my tiptoes to kiss Ash on the cheek, and then lean my head against his shoulder. And just like that we stroll around the garden. I've never been happier in all my life, than right now. I finally found it. A love just for me… No… Us, a love just for us.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the end.<strong>

**What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts. **

**- LadySilentEagle**


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